This may be far from a dream season for the Boston Bruins. But as the team wrestles with major player turnover and the end of an era, the tumult has allowed some young players to see the realization of their own personal dreams.
The latest player to get a shot at the NHL is Woburn’s Riley Duran, a power forward whose game has been coming on lately down in Providence. While he had a slow start in the AHL, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Duran has come on lately and earned the call-up. He was set to make his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
He got the call on Wednesday while hanging out with his roommate Joey Abate.
“Just a jump for joy. I’m super-excited and honestly, it’s just a dream come true. It still hasn’t hit me yet,” said Duran after the B’s optional morning skate.
The 23-year-old Duran, a 2020 sixth round pick, has never been a big scorer. He had 27 goals in three seasons at Providence College. He’s got 12 goals and four assists in 58 games with the Providence Bruins. But the B’s like his all-around game.
“The reports from Providence are that he’s been a dependable player down there. He’s got some pace to his game. He’s got some size, he’s got a good shot,” said interim coach Joe Sacco. “He’s done a lot of penalty killing down there for them so that’s something we may involve him in here tonight as well. Apparently, he can get to the inside. He likes to work to the inside of the ice, too, which is a good thing. It’ll be a good opportunity for him tonight. He’s a local boy and I’m sure he’s excited and his family as well will be excited.”
Duran’s first call was to his father, Jim, who coached Riley at Woburn High before he went to play for Youngstown of the USHL.
“He was shocked, but he was pretty pumped, though. I ended up going home for dinner (Wednesday) night and eating with my family,” said Duran. “They’re all shocked, too, but hard work pays off and I’m excited to play.”
As far as tickets go, Duran was letting his father take care of that, but he expected “a lot of Woburn” to be in attendance.
Duran had a good Development Camp in July and a decent training camp before being sent down. But the transition from college to pro has not been seamless.
“It’s a grind. I’ve learned a lot. Definitely missing some parts of my game that the Providence coaches stayed on me and it ended up working out and I’ve been playing good the past couple of weeks,” said Duran.
The directives he’s gotten?
“Just playing more physical and using my speed. I can skate, but sometimes I don’t use it in the right ways all the time. So just using my speed, playing physical and winning my puck battles goes a long way,” said Duran.
He’s learning what it’s like to be a pro and what his priorities have to be but he said he’s gotten a lot of help in Providence.
“Everyone’s so good to you. They really do have a good support system down there with the coaches and even the older guys. We have an older team this year. Those guys will talk you through it. They’ll be honest with you. If it wasn’t for honesty, you wouldn’t get anywhere,” said Duran, adding that the heavier workload was something he had to get used to. “I think that was part of the grind this year, just going from 30 games to 72. That was an adjustment. But you just learn from the older guys. And you can take your time. It’s not like you have to go to class after. You can focus on your body. That’s a big part of it, focusing on your body.”
As this Bruins’ season to nowhere winds down, small milestones can help to brighten the mood of a team that had much higher expectations.
“Teammates, they get excited when they have a guy that comes up and plays his first NHL game or grabs his first NHL point, whatever the case may be. It creates a little bit of an energy and a buzz around the room,” said Sacco. “It’s a different excitement and I think the teammates are happy for the players when they have an opportunity, especially these young guys that are coming up, trying to show what they can do. There’s definitely some excitement there.”
The abrupt change in direction of the organization was not something many saw coming at the start of the season. That’s especially true for Duran, who has been a lifelong Bruins fan. But depending on how management goes about retooling this roster, there could be more opportunity for players like Duran come September.
“It’s a little weird being a B’s fan my whole life and finally being here and they’re not in the playoffs. It’s different,” said Duran. “But jobs are up and I’m just looking to play hard and see what happens.”…
To the surprise of no one, Sacco announced that Charlie McAvoy and Mark Kastelic will be out for the final three games of the season. McAvoy hasn’t played since suffering a shoulder injury at Four Nations Faceoff in February while Kastelic’s last game was in Vegas on March 20, after which he left the lineup with an upper body injury. Both players have been skating with the team for weeks.
“Just not ready to play, that’s the bottom line right now. Where they’re at in their process, I think we feel and the medical staff feels that they’re not ready to play these last two games after (Thursday),” said Sacco…
The Providence Bruins announced that assistant coach Matt Thomas will become the head coach at RIT upon the conclusion of the Calder Cup playoffs. He’s been with the P-Bruins for four years.